Doubling Up

CALLING CENTRAL FLORIDA HOME

July 17, 2004|By Mike Huguenin, Sentinel Staff Writer

A look at nine other notable two-sport pro athletes:

Charlie Berry: He played two years of pro football (1925-26) and led the NFL in scoring in '25 with 74 points for Pottsville. He played in parts of 12 seasons as a major-league catcher between 1925 and 1938, mostly as a reserve. He then worked as an American League umpire from 1942-63. He also was an NFL referee, officiating 12 title games. In 1958, he umpired in the World Series and was the head linesman later that season in the famed NFL Championship Game between the Colts and Giants.

Chuck Connors: He played pro baseball and basketball, but perhaps is best-known for his starring role in TV's The Rifleman. He was a reserve first baseman in two seasons of baseball, with Brooklyn in 1949 and the Cubs in '51. He played three seasons in the NBA (1945-48) and averaged 4.5 points with Rochester and Boston.

Dave DeBusschere: A Basketball Hall of Famer, DeBusschere played 12 seasons in the NBA (1962-74), starring for Detroit and New York. He had career averages of 16.1 points and 11.0 rebounds. He pitched in 36 major-league games with the White Sox in 1962 and '63.

Dick Groat: A two-time national college basketball player of the year at Duke, Groat played one season in the NBA (1952-53) with Fort Wayne. But he enjoyed far more success in Major League Baseball, playing 14 years (1952-67) as a shortstop with four teams. He was NL MVP in 1960 with Pittsburgh.

Steve Hamilton: He was a college basketball star at Morehead State, then played two seasons in the NBA (1958-60) with the Minneapolis Lakers. He enjoyed more success as a reliever in the majors, pitching for six teams in 12 seasons (1961-72).

Bo Jackson: Jackson was an All-America tailback at Auburn who gave pro baseball a try after college. He played eight seasons in the majors (1986-91, '93-94) with Kansas City and the White Sox and had good power, with speed and arm strength as an outfielder bordering on phenomenal. He also spent four seasons as an NFL running back (1987-90), playing 38 games for the L.A. Raiders. A severe hip injury ended his sports career.

Ron Reed: Reed played two seasons in the NBA with Detroit (1965-67) as a forward and 19 seasons in the majors (1966-84) as a pitcher with four teams. He won 146 games in his major-league career and was the winning pitcher for Atlanta in the game in which Hank Aaron hit his 715th homer.

Deion Sanders: He's the only athlete to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series, and in 1989, he hit a home run and scored a touchdown in the same week. Sanders played nine seasons with four teams in Major League Baseball between 1989 and 2001. He's best-known, though, for his exploits on the football field. He played for four teams in a 12-year career (1989-2000).

Jim Thorpe: The best athlete of all time? A lot of people think so. He played 12 seasons of pro football with six teams between 1915 and 1928 and was a member of the first class inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also played six years in the majors (1913-19), with three teams.